Reality Check Chess vs Chess Notation Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reality Check Chess
This app focuses on improving your chess game by presenting you with random, realistic game positions from top-level play. It helps you assess your overall playing strength beyond just tactical puzzles, offering various modes to challenge your consistency and strategic thinking.
- Random, realistic game positions
- Focus on overall playing strength
- Variety of playing modes
- Improves consistency and strategy
- Accurate evaluation of playing strength
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REALITY CHECK CHESS - Train on real positions. Get an honest measure of your game. Tactical puzzles are fun but do they actually make you stronger? Most of your real games aren't lost to missed brilliancies. They're lost to ordinary blunders in ordinary positions. Reality Check trains you where it counts: authentic positions from top-level games, where you must find the best move — whether it's a tactic, a quiet positional improvement, or just a solid practical choice. No contrived setups. Just an honest read on how strong you really are. WHY REALITY CHECK • Train on real positions from master games - not artificial puzzles • Get a precise evaluation of your true playing strength • Build consistency in the positions you actually face • Sharpen the "normal" moves that decide most games GAME MODES • Endgame Academy - NEW! Master essential checkmates & endgame technique through guided, adaptive drills with star ratings • Masters - test yourself in positions from elite games • Tactical Racer - race the clock to find the best moves • Daily Challenges - a fresh test every day • Blunder Check - stop giving games away • Simulator & Study - analyze, learn, and play freely • Puzzles - classic tactics when you want them BUILT FOR REAL IMPROVEMENT A redesigned premium interface with smooth board animations, progress tracking, and a powerful engine for instant analysis. Get your reality checked - and become a genuinely better chess player. Premium is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.freeprivacypolicy.com/live/d53d968e-a742-4176-abbf-0a7ca662041d
Chess Notation Trainer
Master chess squares and notation with this training app. Improve your ability to identify coordinates, translate moves, and visualize the board, even without one. Ideal for serious players looking to enhance calculation speed and chess understanding.
- Identify squares by coordinate
- Translate move sequences to notation
- Determine square color instantly
- Stay oriented on the board
- Follow chess tutorials without a board
- Speed up calculation
- Practice blind chess
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Serious about chess? But struggling to identify the squares, remembering sequences and follow chess notations? Well, you just landed on the perfect app! This training app is designed to dramatically uplift your mastery over chess squares. There are 5 training sessions. A small dose of regular practice will make you: 1. Spot a square as soon as you hear or see its coordinate 2. Translate a sequence of moves into their notation at ease 3. Immediately identify the color of a square 4. Stay oriented regardless of you facing white or black 5. Follow along with chess tutorials, books or any discussion without a board 6. Massively speedup your thought process on any calculation 7. Finally, start playing blind chess! Don't be surprised if you see a sudden surge of rating simply increasing your strength on square reading. The free version is already good enough to cause a major spike in your chess career. However, a one time purchase will unlock the full version which includes: - Extended time controls - Untimed practice mode - Milestones and achievements - Board assistance during training - And a complete visualization of your records There will be no ads, neither in the full version nor in the free one. Just a beautiful and satisfyingly addictive way to your square mastery. Caution: If you are rated below 1500, this app is probably not gonna be as useful for you, and tactics training is something you should prioritize.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Chess Notation Trainer at every 2 days against Reality Check Chess's every 6 days. Reality Check Chess's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Reality Check Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Chess Notation Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Reality Check Chess against 4.4 for Chess Notation Trainer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 18 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Reality Check Chess ships an update every 6 days, Chess Notation Trainer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reality Check Chess | Chess Notation Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (7 ratings) | 4.4 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 194 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marko Milosevic | Nishat Majid |
Customer experience
Reality Check Chess
Chess Notation Trainer
In-app purchases
Reality Check Chess
- Premium Month7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Premium Year7 Days trial$59.991 Year
Chess Notation Trainer
- Full Version$4.99
Questions
Is Reality Check Chess free?
Is Chess Notation Trainer free?
Which has better reviews, Reality Check Chess or Chess Notation Trainer?
Do Reality Check Chess or Chess Notation Trainer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Reality Check Chess or Chess Notation Trainer?
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